HL Deb 04 March 1948 vol 154 cc464-6

6.10 p.m.

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee read.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(Lord Nathan.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly:

[The VISCOUNT MERSEY in the Chair.]

Clauses 1 and 2 agreed to.

Clause 3 [Application to women of the Army and Air Force Acts, and interpretation and adaptation of those and other enactments]:

On Question, Whether Clause 3 shall stand part of the Bill:

VISCOUNT BRIDGEMAN

On the Second Reading of this Bill I asked the noble Lord, Lord Nathan, whether he could give an assurance that the Order in Council referred to in Clause 3 would be laid before the date when it was proposed to invite transfer from the present Women's Services to the new bodies. I wonder whether the noble Lord has any statement to make on that point?

THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (LORD NATHAN)

I gladly respond to the question put to me by the noble Viscount, and give him at once an assurance that the Order in Council, adapting and modifying the Army and Air Force Acts for application to the new Women's Forces, will be introduced before the new Forces are constituted—that is to say, before women at present serving are invited to transfer, and before direct recruiting to the new Services begins. I think your Lordships—particularly the noble Marquess, Lord Reading, in the light of his observations on the Second Reading—would wish to know that this Order in Council will not contain any radical changes in the Army and Air Force Acts for application to women. It will be merely an adaptation to make it more applicable to the Women's Forces—as, for instance, changing the term "widow" to "widower," and points like that.

There will be a small number of minor amendments in regard to other Acts, in order to make them applicable to the Women's Services. I do not think that I need go into any detail as regards these, except to assure your Lordships that it is not proposed that these Orders in Council should contain any substantial changes of the law. They will merely have the purpose of making that which is now applicable only to men applicable also to women. I hope that the noble Viscount will be satisfied with this assurance.

VISCOUNT BRIDGEMAN

I am obliged to the noble Lord for the assurance which he has just given. I feel that it is a good thing that the Order in Council can be laid, and I hope the fact that it is laid will remove any possible difficulties from the transfer, which we all desire to see effected smoothly.

Clause 3 agreed to.

Remaining clauses agreed to.

House resumed.